QUASAR

— First review of this album —

In 1990, Quasar were touring on the basis of their second album, The Loreli', which had been released the previous year. The line-up at the time was Tracy Hitchings (vocals, keyboards), Toshi Tsuchiya (guitar, keyboards), Dave Wagstaffe (drums) and Keith Turner (bass, 12-string) and this recording finds them at The Noordelight in front of a very keen audience. This line-up would not last much longer with Dave joining ex-Quasar members Steve Leigh and Uwe D'Rose in the new band, Landmarq, and Tracy recording a solo album and working with Clive Nolan. Keith has continued to keep Quasar going with different musicians, both in the UK and America, and I can only hope there will be more new music soon as this is a delight.

Tracy is probably one of the finest British female singers to never truly make the big time, although she was certainly highly regarded within the progressive scene and worked with Clive Nolan for years until she moved to Australia. It was there that we got back in touch again, nearly 30 years on from when we first came across each other, and had lots of laughs together. Her death way too young impacted me a lot, so do I think this is a great release as it features rare live recordings of Tracy in her prime, and she was my friend, or is it genuinely that good?

Here we get all five tracks from the most recent album, two from the debut, plus "White Feathers" which would not appear in a studio version until the third album in 2016. I never did get to see Quasar play live, something I truly regret as this was/is a dynamic neo prog band who have always had great material, wonderful musicians and superb singers. Over the years they have had both female and male vocalists, but due to the quality of the music and songs, they can be sung by either and while this line-up was arguably hampered by not having a separate keyboard player and guitarist (Tracy was not truly what one could call a keyboard player, with Clive famously refusing to let her play live), Toshi was able to command the sound whatever he was playing. Dave is still an in-demand drummer, able to play lots of different styles, while Keith is a great bassist, fully understanding the need for different styles of attack to create emphasis, and then at the front is Tracy.

One can only wonder what would have happened if this line-up had stayed together and produced another album in short order, as this live recording is a delight from beginning to end, and something I have enjoyed immensely.

— First review of this album —

In 1984 Quasar performed at The Heathery Bar in Wishaw, with the tapes later being restored and enhanced, being released as this live album in 2016. At the time the line-up was Susan Robinson (vocals), Cyrus Khajavi (guitar), Dillon Tonkin (keyboards), Tony Peart (drums) and Keith Turner (bass, 12-String) with the set comprising most of the debut album, along with two songs which later changed names but were both on the follow-up release, 'The Loreli'. This set contains 9 songs, but it is possible that four of these are also available on 'Quasar Live 1984-1990', given that set contains four songs by this line-up recorded in 1984, with the others coming from the 1990 line-up (all of which I think are now available on 'Live At The Noorderlight').

The sound quality is a bit ropey at times, more like a good bootleg as opposed to a full live recording, but it certainly allows us to hear just how good this band was. Sue had already cut her teeth with Solstice, and at this time was one of the few female singers in prog, and this recording has her very much at home in the live environment, and allows us to hear just what a great singer she was. Given the way Solstice has been totally resurrected and reborn in recent years one can only wonder if Keith will create yet another version of Quasar, as if it had not been for the significant line-up changes and challenges there is no doubt in my mind that this band would have achieved far more than that they did. They deserved so much more and this recording is certainly worthy of discovering.

— First review of this album —

Back in 1982, Quasar released their debut studio album, which featured Paul Vigrass (lead vocals), Cyrus Khajavi (guitar synthesizer), Peter Ware (keyboards), Peter Shade (vibraphone), Steen Doosing (drums), andKeith Turner (bass, Moog bass pedals, 12-string guitar), and David Cairns (drums), along with a few guests. It was later reissued in 1990, with a different cover, and then many years later Keith contacted Graham Joiner of Audio Restored to create digital multitrack masters from the old master tapes, but to Keith's surprise they did not contain Paul's vocals, but instead those of Susan Robinson. Susan was highly regarded as lead singer of Quasar in the Eighties (the band have suffered from multiple line-up changes), yet apart from a live tape there was nothing officially released. Apparently this was recorded after the release of the album itself and on Bandcamp it states that all the tracks are original takes apart from the vocals, which is why the cover is virtually identical to the original with just the colouring of the logo giving it away.

It is more than a decade since I last played the original version of this album, which means in many ways I have been able to treat this as a brand new release, which is just as well as one of the things I know I really enjoyed about it previously was the confidence of Paul. This album is now more than 40 years old, and is not surprising that it is incredibly reminiscent of the neo prog of the time, yet even now this is a joy to listen to. Yes, it does sound dated, but not as much as one might imagine. Listening to it in 2025, with the ease of discovering music and connecting to others in the prog scene, it is almost impossible to think back to what the scene was like in the early Eighties when the mass media decided to do their level best to ensure any nascent prog scene was snuffed out for good. Even though Quasar were regularly playing venues like The Marquee they were destined for success only within the underground. This never sounds as of Susan was a replacement singer, as this material is perfectly suited to her vocal style, and one can certainly hear why she was so highly rated as this is a neo prog album which is a delight from beginning to end with a real freshness in approach.

I must confess to enjoying this more than I did with Paul singing, so why not go to Bandcamp and visit one of the stalwarts of the early Eighties prog scene.

My final purposeful excursion into the Neo-Prog band that was there from the start, Quasar.

"Seeing Stars" (5 minutes longer than the studio version off Fire in the Sky) heads off low and slow, but fairly big. I'm not big into his vocals; it is what it is. Things pick up around minute 4 and do keep ascending. Drums are nice. Keys are bright and triumphant. Female vox take the helm around minute 5 with a new rhythm, led by light cymbals and bass. The thing is, it's just so dated.

Seeing its live representation, "Power in Your Hands" must be popular(?). It was big, and almost good... I'm just not into this sort of thing, I know. It's followed by "The Loreli", ominous and "in a shroud of mystery" haha. Half of it was pretty boring.

Then the track "As You Fall Asleep" must have been aware that I would be listening to this 10+ years later... haha. I will say, the guitar riff paired with the crashing of cymbals is pretty nice. It shifts into... decent... uh... rock opera for a split second haha. Then it's Prog, I think, finally(?!) haha. Again, half a bore, but then half, for the first time on the album, good Prog! Amy Grant's Christmas album from 1983 is more progressive, though, to be completely honest...

"In the Grand Scheme of Things" certainly was a song that existed! Nice hahaha. And finally, the closer, "Mission 14", the first track that I actually had on my main playlist from the original recording (again, Fire in the Sky). The synth-guitar lead/melody around 5:40 is awesome, at least. This ones a bit like CAMEL?! They just don't make epics like they used to, though, huh?

I found most was performed satisfactorily, but much of the sonic choices are hokey and have severely dated themselves. I know people love Neo-Prog, but I have never understood it.

True Rate: 2.5/5.0

The Loreli, Quasar's second officially released album (a preproduction cassette of an earlier version of the album, entitled Forgotten Dreams, has apparently circulated to a very limited extent), finds band founder Keith Turner cobbling a new lineup together with him as the only performer returning from the Fire In the Sky lineup.

The album's largely in the Quasar style of synth-washed, melodic neo-prog that was pioneered on the debut album, the most notable difference being the presence of Tracy Hitchings on vocals. Some may find her somewhat breathy, highly emotional approach to be a bit of an acquired taste - but then again that seems to be par for the course for neo-prog vocalists - and if you're a fan of her's this release is significant in terms of being her first album appearance, coming out when she was just 20, and her ticket into the world of neo-prog which would later see her undertake projects like Strangers On a Train.

Beyond that, it's essentially pretty good-natured neo-prog which is reminiscent of Fire In the Sky and perhaps a little better produced, but only a little, and not quite as memorable.

To prepare yourself for the sounds you will hear on this album one would do well to listen to the 1974 pop hit "Magic" by future prog sessions musicians, PILOT. This album sounds just like it, voice, etc.

1. "Fanfare" (0:42) breakneck speed synths on display. (4/5)

2. "Seeing Stars" (3:48) opens with a little CAMEL and VANGELIS mixture before drums drop in to signal full band foundation for backing delicate singing of Paul Vigrass. Spacious keyboard based rock music behind this Bobby Vinton-like voice. After Paul's two verses and choruses the synths take over to close. (8.25/10)

3. "Mission 14" (13:21) a great prog groove established from stealing the music beneath GENESIS' "take a little trip with Father Tiresias" from "Cinema Show" the get-go over which some nice impassioned vocals and instrumental soli are delivered. A nice instrumental section begins in the fourth minute to include a nice Prophet 5 and electric guitar solo. Just enough gear and directional shifts to keep it interesting and never let it get boring, though it is a little too reliant on the Cinema Show sound and structures. (26.5/30)

4. "U.F.O.": (17:57) : (32.5/40)

- a) "U.F.O." (5:52) the vocals work better as the musical backdrop thickens and fills. (Bad choice for whatever effects they're running Paul's voice through.) Sounds like a blend of PILOT and SUPERTRAMP for the first half, then GENESIS-lite (Wind and Wuthering era). (8.25/10)

- b) "Flying" (2:51) sounds quite a bit like a passage from PATRICK MORAZ's Story of I or a CAMEL/GENESIS "Naminanu." Constant with no changes start to finish. (8.25/10)

- c) "Fire in The Sky" (5:15) PILOT + BUGGLES and/or Ambrosia. (8/10)

- d) "Moon" (3:59) opens with an engaging foundational riff before Paul adds some unusually relaxed and unassuming vocals. This is nice! Then there is a more bombastic bass-infused finale. (8/10)

Total Time: 35:48

B-/four stars; a solid and interesting contribution to the early neo-progressive genre which suffers from a little simplicity but is definitely worthy of a listen for your self. Too bad about the poor sound engineering of Paul Vigrass' vocals.

3.5 stars for sure

Who will thought that this legendary british neo prog band named Quasar (but in same time quite little known worldwide) from early movement of the genre in early '80s will come with a new album after more then 25 years from last offer named The Loreli from 1989. The new album saw the light in december 2016 named Memories of Times Yet to Be. This line up on this relase is stable since 2012 with new female vocalist Keren Gaiser, who is very similar in many passages with the previous female singer Tracy Hitchings and aswell with the one from Magenta The pieces are long well developed, in typical neo prog tradition, melodic guitar lines, expressive keyboards, and pleasent most of the time vocal passages. All in all a very solid come back that is for sure, and I'm pleased about this new release from start to finish. Fav pieces, all have same level , maybe with a plus on Enigma at the Louvre and opening track. Nice art work, 3.5 stars, and as a proof of that this band is quite unknown in neo prog circles is the number of ratings and reviews this album got even is issued more then half a year ago.

UK band QUASAR was formed back in 1979, and is generally regarded as one of the lesser known bands in the so called neo progressive movement. They managed to record and release two albums, one in 1982 and one in 1989, and had at least three totally different line-ups in that period too. Then all went quite about this band, until they resurfaced as a US based band a few years ago. "Live 2011" is the second of two live albums they have released since then, and their first album featuring an all new, US based line-up.

The music on this album as well as their previous ones belongs in the neo progressive category. Melodic and accessible progressive rock, with a basis in the 1970's symphonic part of the progressive rock universe. The majority of the songs revolves around alternating gentle, slow or sparse movements, occasionally developing into arrangements richer in instrument textures with ones more pace-filled and energetic or richly layered, majestic constructions not based on an initial theme of a gentler or more sparse starting point. The band utilize the tonal ranges fairly well throughout to create both distinct and more subtle contrasts, and the guitars will occasionally add some darker toned impact riffs as well. Perhaps with less dramatic touches than some other neo progressive bands tend to opt for, but a sound and a style those who love the original neo progressive bands will find enticing. For just about the first time in the history of this band they have a decent recording quality on their material too.

I'll have to admit that on some occasions, I actually found some of the earlier versions of their compositions subtly more enticing, although the only song that gave me a strong and distinct impression of that nature was Power In Your Hands. Current vocalist Keren Gaiser is arguably a better vocalist as far as subtle details go, but on this particular song I found former vocalist Hatchings more dramatic and emotional delivery better suited to my personal taste. And while I'll be damned if I can expand upon it, I did think some of the other songs while overall coming across as improved in execution and performance perhaps have lost some minor dramatic edges on the way too. The one new track present on this disc does give promise for future studio albums by Quasar, a pleasant addition to their repertoire that I suspect might truly soar when recorded in a studio with it's gentle ballad slowly developing to more majestic and dramatic territories until a final dramatic eruption.

While I personally I find their second studio album "The Loreli" to be their most intriguing production so far, I'd recommend those unfamiliar with Quasar to start their inspection of the band with this live album due to an overall better recording quality on this more recent production. With those fond of neo progressive rock as it was made back in the 1980's as a likely key audience.

UK band QUASAR have been around for a good 30 years by now, with a constant array of line-up alterations along the way. Following the release of two studio albums in the 1980's they more or less disappeared, but suddenly reappeared again in 2010 with the live album "Live 1984 - 1990"

The initial four tracks here are live recordings by the 1984 edition of Quasar. And on stage it appears that this band was vastly superior to the studio entity that recorded their debut album two years earlier. In Susan Robinson they had a strong female vocalist that gave the songs a much stronger presence overall, and the songs themselves appears as far more dynamic and sophisticated on stage than they appear on the album. More contrast, more depth, more tension.

The following five pieces documents that the 1990 line-up of Quasar can be described in very much the same manner. Hitchings is the lead vocalist on these recordings, and she's just as able on stage than in the studio if not even more so, and the band as such appears to be a tighter and more vital entity when performing in front of a live audience.

When that has be said, this is a live album that comes with it's fair share of shortcomings too, and in this case they are fairly massive. I don't know what happened when this disc was put together, but something has gone terribly amiss in the mix and mastering process. Turning the volume up and down from track to track is not something you enjoy doing when listening to an album, and this is a case where you have to adjust a lot. Second track Fire in the Sky in particular suffers from this, so much lower mixed than the other songs that it is quite shocking I'm afraid.

Another and more major fault is the recording quality. Opening cut Seeing Stars from the 1984 version of the band the worst of the lot, so uneven, unbalanced and generally poorly recorded that this one comes pretty close to being unlistenable. And while the recording quality of final track Power In Your Hands is somewhat better, the uneven recording quality that especially makes the gentler parts of this song suffer a lot makes me give this one a rather similar conclusion. The other tracks are marginally better recorded, by chance or by accident, but this is by no means a collection of live cuts recorded in a professional manner. This is bootleg quality live material, and substandard at that.

As far as live albums go, this archival collection from Quasar is one that can only be recommended to a select few people: Those who saw the band live back in 1984 and 1990 and dearly want to dream their way back to the actual concerts, and to ardent fans of the band that have a strong need to find out what the band sounded like live back then. A live album for the very specially interested only, even if the performance of the band as such doesn't leave much to be desired.

UK band QUASAR was formed back in 1979, and is a band that suffered from a multitude of line-up alterations in their early history. The one constant member is bassist Keith Turner, the only remaining member from the foundation of the band to the constellation that released their debut album "Fire in the Sky" in 1982, and he was also the sole member of that line-up still in the band when their second production "The Loreli" appeared in 1989.

Seven years and a brand new line-up had done a lot for Quasar as a band. As had better recording quality and production I surmise. Like their debut album this is a production that will be regarded as a neo progressive one. Accessible, melodic symphonic progressive rock, albeit with more of a sophisticated nature to it than the material on their debut album.

A central premise in the band's sound on this occasion is the manner in which the bass guitar is rather central in the arrangements. On one hand the bass is in tight interplay with the drums to construct a firm drive and rhythm foundation, but on the other hand it serves as the main contrasting element in the compositions. The guitar may chime in with the occasional darker toned texture, but is first and foremost used as a resonating light toned supplemental motif provider when not providing guitar soloing harmonizing with or supplementing the keyboards. The keyboards mainly use the lighter tones of the register to provide layers of surging and playful symphonic textures and backdrops to the proceedings. The bass guitar is the one constant provider of darker toned motifs to contrast the otherwise lighter toned instrument details, and due to that gets a more distinct placement in the arrangements. Which may also be the reason for why Turner's bass and pedals are also utilized in a more melodic sense than ordinary.

The compositions are accessible and melodic creations all, alternating between gentler movements and sections sporting either a more intense and majestic expression or the occasional lapse into sections of pace-filled and more intense excursions. The latter occasionally containing minor references to bands like ELP. What adds a lot more life and intensity to this album are the lead vocals. Tracy Hitchings is the singer on this disc, and her expressive, emotional voice is of the kind that comes with drama and tension as a natural element. While the instrumental constructions might be a bit too smooth for some, the raw emotion of Hitchings lead vocals adds nerve and tension aplenty to keep matters interesting. All of these elements arguably finding their perfect form on final track Power In Your Hands.

While both production and most instrument textures comes with a distinct 80's sound to them, and due to that will have a limited appeal, "The Lorelei" is a fine example of neo progressive rock from the 1980's, and if you enjoy that kind of music in general and are fond of the melodic, accessible variety of it in particular this album merits a check. Especially for those who have a soft spot for emotional, dramatic female lead vocals.